The Marine Gardens

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Under ideal weather conditions the largest crowd seen that season at the Marine Gardens was kept at a high pitch of excitement on 18 July by the magnificent riding of Cordy Milne, who won the Marine Gardens track championship. Milne’s riding was consistent throughout and along with Bill Kitchen he scored 14 points, only one short of the possible.

The elimination process was by means of points, the four riders gaining the highest number over 20 heats qualifying for the final. The riders appearing were representative of practically every track in Britain, some of them being entrants for the World Speedway Championship.

In heat one Evans equalled the track record and Lungo, the local rider, who was deputising for Greenwood, rode a magnificent race for second place, keeping out such men as Garland and Bravery.

The first casualty of the evening was in the second race. Hyland and Chapman were fighting for the lead, with Hart a close third. On rounding the bottom bend Hyland attempted to pass Chapman and came down heavily. He was carried off and was reported to be suffering from concussion and was unable to ride for the rest of the meeting.

Milne encountered his only defeat at the hands of Bill Kitchen, who set up a new track record, his time being 1 min 18 and one fifth secs. The original track record of 1 min 20 secs was broken no fewer than six times.

Kitchen’s fast time put the crowd on their toes and when he again put up a fast time against Evans in heat five he immediately became first favourite for the trophy. In this race Evans gained the advantage of the lead and looked like holding it when, in a magnificent display of anticipation, Kitchen outwitted Evans to win comfortably.

Hart, the popular Edinburgh rider won his second race and Milne did likewise. Packer showed a return to his old form when defeating Chapman and Whitfield easily in the good time of 1 min 19 and four fifth secs. Milne, by defeating Hart, took second place.

In heat ten Packer again rose to the occasion by riding a thrilling race against Hansen. Packer lost a footrest in this race but despite this handicap he managed to hold his lead.

The most thrilling event of the night culminated in the first defeat of Bill Kitchen by Oliver Hart. As usual Kitchen got well away, but Hart, by magnificent cornering, snatched the lead. Kitchen made a last minute spurt but the Edinburgh man had the advantage and won in the surpisingly slow time of 1 min 22 and two fifth secs.

The last of the heats were run off without any outstanding incidents. Evans, Kitchen, Hart and Milne recording easy victories.

An unfortunate incident occurred in heat 19 when Parkinson, over eager at the start, tore down the standing tapes and was disqualified under ACU ruling.

The line up for the final read Milne, 14 points. Kitchen 14 points. Hart 13 points and Evans 12 points. Getting quickly away, Kitchen took the lead with the other riders bunched together behind him. He was not in front for long, however, as Milne, cutting through the field, slipped into the lead and stayed there until the end. The Edinburgh man was unfortunate enough to over slide but he suffered no serious injury.

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In their second ACU Northern Cup match on 25 July the Edinburgh team defeated Glasgow by 29 points.

This big win was due to the splendid riding of George Greenwood and the crafty team riding of Hart and Hyland. Edinburgh seemed to have no real opposition at all, Glasgow only recording one win.

In the first heat Edinburgh’s new captain, Greenwood, finished in splendid style but the Edinburgh second man was left. The home side took the lead in heat 2, Hart and Hyland finishing first and second respectively. The new captain again increased Edinburgh’s lead in heat 4 and the score then stood Edinburgh 17 Glasgow 7.

A serious looking crash occurred in heat 6 when Packer, trying to head Lowther on the bottom bend, crashed into the Glasgow man. Another rider, Crowther, in trying to avoid the two fallen men, crashed into the fence and also came off. Lowther remounted and finished second.

At the 7th heat Edinburgh were leading by 21 points, Hart and Greenwood having completed their hat tricks.

A thrilling race was run in heat 9 when the Edinburgh pair, Chapman and Packer, were left at the start. Fighting hard and manoeuvring cleverly, Chapman held on to the leader and skilfully gained a well deserved victory.

Greenwood’s win in heat 10 and Hart’s win in heat 11 saw them both complete maximum points and at the same time gave Glasgow no chance of drawing level.

The remaining heats were all won by Edinburgh and the home team finished their first ACU Cup win with the splendid score of Edinburgh 56 points, Glasgow 27 points.

The opening heats of the Scottish Silver Torch were quite uneventful. Greenwood, Hyland and Hart having easy runs to qualify for the final. Greenwood was quickly away but Hart fought his way through the field and, cornering with magnificent skill, he forced his way to the lead and held on, to win the best race of the night.

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For the second week in succession the Edinburgh team returned a substantial home win when they defeated Sheffield in the ACU Northern Cup competition by nine points.

The Edinburgh captain George Greenwood once again scored maximum points and up to that date he was the only home rider whose points percentage was 100 per cent.

The home team started off well with a grand win for their captain who led all the way in the fast time of 1 min 19 secs.

The second heat was a chapter of accidents for Edinburgh. Hart was thrown from his machine as the tapes went up and Hyland came off on the bottom bend, leaving the Sheffield riders to cruise home for the points.

Packer and Chapman made amends in the next heat and placed Edinburgh on the lead. Chapman put up a great fight for second place, displacing Bronco Dixon on the line.

Edinburgh still held the lead after heat five despite the defeat of Hart who had to give best to Evans. Chapman gave the crowd a real thrill in heat six. The Sheffield men were quickly away, with McLachlan in the lead, when Chapman, with magnificent cornering fought his way o the front to record a fine win.

A bad looking collision occurred in heat seven when Greenwood over slid into Birtwell, bringing the latter down. Powell, following behind, crashed into both the fallen riders and it appeared as though all three riders were seriously injured. Birtwell, however, was the only stretcher case and he, on being examined by the doctor, was found to have sustained a fractured leg. This rider had also been unfortunate at Glasgow on the previousSaturday night where he sustained concussion. In the re-run of this race, Greenwood won easily from Bronco Dixon to increase Edinburgh’s points to 23 with Sheffield 18.

Chapman again thrilled the crowd in heat eight when he put up a terrific fight against Ernie Evans, but he was just beaten for speed.

Greenwood completed his maximum points in heat ten, Sheffield taking second and third places, but this result was received with mixed feelings by the crowd, who were of the opinion that the other Edinburgh man had been bored out of position.

Packer and Lungo definitely settled the decision in favour of the home team in heat twelve when they took first and second places respectively. With another convincing win, Chapman put Edinburgh's final score up to 46, to give the home team a good win by nine points.

A highlight of the meeting was the reserves’ race in which a great struggle took place between Lungo and Plant. With a grand effort Lungo held on to Plant for three laps and passed him on the bottom bend to win a magnificent race.

In the Scottish Gold Helmet event the Edinburgh captain George Greenwood had to withdraw owing to engine trouble. Chapman, Packer and Hart qualified easily for the final and the fastest loser was McLachlan. Packer went into the lead and looked like holding it when Chapman, with a great effort, forced his machine to the front to win a splendid race, Hart finishing a good second.

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On 8 August the Scottish speedway championship was won by the American rider Wilbur Lamoreau (Wimbledon) who rode magnificently throughout the heats and in the final. Sir Harry Lauder, who was present, handed over the Scottish Gold Helmet which was won outright.

The meeting was not what could be called a thrilling one. No records were broken. There were few close finishes. Hart was the only Edinburgh rider to gain an award, Greenwood, the Edinburgh captain being unfortunate with engine trouble.

Easy victories were recorded in the opening heats by the respective winners and it was not until heat five that there was a really close race. Here Bob Harrison (Belle Vue) out manoeuvred Wilbur Lamoreau and returned a surprise win.

Much to the crowd’s disappointment, the Edinburgh favourite Oliver Hart was narrowly defeated by Eric Langton in heat 6, the home rider going wide at the bends and allowing the Belle Vue man to slip inside.

However Hart came out in heat 9 and had a smashing win over Ernie Evans. This gave Hart his first win of the evening. Bill Kitchen suffered his first defeat of the meeting at the hands of Wilbur Lamoreau who took the lead at the start and held on, but the Belle Vue man, however, came out again in the next heat and won a magnificent race against George Pepper.

The superb riding of Langton in heat 15 was greatly appreciated by the big crowd. He held on to Bob Harrison and, with splendid anticipation, passed him to win. The points leaders at this stage were Kitchen, Lamoreau, Langton and Hart.

Langton increased his score at the expense of Bill Kitchen in heat 17 and made sure of his place in the final.

Once again Hart gave a fine display in heat 19 when he easily accounted for Parker and Pepper.

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On the afternoon of 2 March 1945, Mr. A.F. Palmer Phillips, the Sales Director of Vauxhall Motors Ltd and ex president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd performed the ceremony of launching two landing craft at the SMT war construction factory at the Marine Gardens.

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A fortnight later women welders were chosen by their fellow employees at the Marine Gardens, to launch two landing craft. The ceremony was performed by Miss Margaret Horner, 4 Wellington Place, Joppa, a former waitress at the Liberton Golf Club and Mrs. Jean Mathieson, 16 Craigmillar Castle Terrace, wife of an RAF man.

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In the immediate aftermath of the war the Marine Gardens played its part in the reconstruction.

There was a desperate need for housing and the Government imported prefabricated timber houses from Sweden. The first were brought over from Sweden to Leith by the steamer Porkel on 22 February 1946. She was the first of five or six vessels which were expected at the port within the next week or two.

Altogether 200 houses were delivered. They were stored under cover in the Marine Gardens and there the sections, which were all code numbered, were sorted out ready for distribution to the various sites. The houses were of one storey and two storey types.

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The last official event at the Marine Gardens took place on 21 December 1949 when a prototype of a mechanised landing craft built during the war and launched at the Gardens in November 1944 by the then Lady Provost, Miss Diana Falconer, was presented by Mr. C. Cambage, General Manager SMT to Mr. D. McIntyre V.C., Under Secretary of the Ministry of Works.

The craft was engined with two high power petrol Packard motors and was built to carry two small fighting tanks or one large one, complete with infantry platoon.

The prototype was placed beside a model of a landing craft used in the Napoleonic wars in the Scottish United Services Museum, Edinburgh Castle.


After this, there are no further references to the Marine Gardens in the Scotsman Archive.